Lake County

Middletown Schools Reopen After Deadly Valley Fire

More than two weeks after the Valley Fire began, many students living in Middletown are finally headed back to class Monday.

Hundreds of homes burned down and entire neighborhoods were taken out, but Middletown's schools were somehow spared. The fire killed four people and destroyed more than 1,950 structures.

School officials have arranged for buses to pick up students who are staying in other parts of Lake County.

Meanwhile, classes at Cobb Elementary School will be held in portable units set up behind the Middletown Middle school campus.

Schools were used as evacuation centers during the peak of the fire. The fire was 97 percent contained Monday. All evacuations were lifted in the affected areas.

The blaze started Sept. 12, and charred 118 square miles. The cause remains under investigation.

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